Turkish main opposition CHP leader Özel attends trade union march

The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) members marching to demand justice in income and taxation reached the capital Ankara. The march saw the participation of main opposition CHP leader Özgür Özel and deputies.

Friday November 17 2023 02:48 pm

Duvar English

The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey’s (DİSK) “Justice in Income Justice in Tax” march, initiated from Istanbul, reached the capital Ankara on Nov. 17.

#GelirdeVergideAdalet yürüyüş kolumuz Bölge Temsilciliğimize ulaştı.
Haydi! Saat 14'te Ulus Meydanı'na! pic.twitter.com/6lpcczcqFe
— DİSK (@diskinsesi) November 17, 2023

In Ankara, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, and CHP and HEDEP deputies attended the march.

#GelirdeVergideAdalet yürüyüş kolumuz Ulus'a doğru yaklaşıyor. pic.twitter.com/JfknfbRrsp
— DİSK (@diskinsesi) November 17, 2023

Özel took the stage at the Ulus Square where the march ended and criticized excessive taxation. He said the poor people and workers were being taxed 10 times the capital owners and added “We object to this unfair tax system.”

“We will be with you in all your justified demands, in the streets, in the strikes. This is just the beginning, we will fight together, we will win together,” said Özel, pledging support to the workers.

On Nov. 5, Özel was elected as the new CHP leader and ended Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s 13-year rule within the party.

People’s Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) deputy co-chair İbrahim Akın also took the stage and said all professional organizations “need to stand together against this unfair system.”

DİSK chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu previously said they started the march because Turkey has “the most unfair tax system in the world.”

“We are marching to remove the obstacles to unionization and to save Turkey from being a society of minimum wage earners,” she said during the Bursa leg of the march on Nov. 15.